This site
features our online version of the Harper's Weekly newspapers published
during the Civil War. These papers have a wealth of incredible details
on the conflict, including news reports and illustrations created by
eye-witnesses to the historic events depicted. We hope you enjoy
browsing this online resource.

(Scroll Down to See Entire Page, or Newspaper Thumbnails below will take you to the page of interest)

LEANDRO GOMEZ'S HEAD-QUARTERS, PAYSANDU.

THE TURRET FORT, PAYSANDU.

THE WAR IN SOUTH AMERICA.

NOTWITHSTANDING the intensity of
interest with which we await the developments of our own

civil war, we can not be
indifferent to the more distant conflict in which Brazil is engaged against the
South American Republics of Paraguay and Uruguay. The cause of this will be best
under-

stood by a brief retrospect of
the last two years. During that time Uruguay, which touches the southern border
of Brazil, and is wedged in, as it were, between her and the Argentine Republic,
has been distracted by rebellion. The revolution, head

ed by Flores, has been

gaining headway, the government
of Uruguay being too weak to oppose an adequate resistance. Paraguay, which is
just north of Uruguay, has awaited with interest the development of the
revolution, throwing her influence against Flores and his party. Brazil, whose
government is imperial, hoped for the destruction of the Republic. She
complained that her citizens were imperiled by the situation in Uruguay, and
threatened interference. There upon President Lopez, of Paraguay, declared to
the Brazilian government

that he should consider the
invasion of Uruguay by Brazilian troops a cause of war. Brazil, however, persisted in her
interference. On the 16th of October, 1864, she
blockaded the ports of Uruguay. One of those most strictly blockaded was
Paysandu. On the 6th of December the Brazilian squadron co-operated with the

army of Flores in an attack upon
this town. During that day seven hundred bombs were thrown into the place from
four Brazilian gun boats, while Flores with three thousand men attacked by land.
The town was defended by Leandro Gomez most

gallantly. Gomez had in his
command a force not quite one-third as strong as that engaged in the attack.

Paysandu resisted every open
attack, but the rebels and invaders ultimately succeeded in taking the place.
Paysandu was formerly a very thriving town on the River Uruguay ; it' is now,
however, little better than a heap of ruins, and in the possession of the
Brazilians. Leandro Gomez was murdered by the victors, and his body shamefully
mutilated. We give on this page some illustrations, engraved from photographs,
representing the ruins

of Paysandu. One of these represents the Comandancia Militar, or Gomez's head quarters. Only the front wall is standing, and it is so battered
by cannon shot that we can only recognize it was once a house by the grated
windows. Another represents the Turret
Fort, whence the

heroic garrison made its last
stand. This work was almost entirely destroyed.

From Paysandu it is expected that
Flores and his Brazilian Allies will move down the river and

lay siege to Montevideo, the
capital of Uruguay, situated on the Rio de la Plata. We give below a view of
this place. It is situated on a gentle devation, at the extremity of a small
peninsula.

LEANDRO GOMEZ.

MONTEVIDEO, THE CAPITAL OF URUGUAY, SOUTH AMERICA.

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